Laurence Bergreen Livres

The extraordinary life of the of the great travellers of world history

The riveting story of Ferdinand Magellan’s historic 60,000-mile ocean voyage—now updated with a new introduction commemorating the 500th anniversary of his journey. “Prodigious research, sure-footed prose and vivid descriptions make for a thoroughly satisfying account... it is all here in the wondrous detail, a first-rate historical page turner.”— New York Times Book Review Ferdinand Magellan's daring circumnavigation of the globe in the sixteenth century was a three-year odyssey filled with sex, violence, and amazing adventure. Now in Over the Edge of the World, prize-winning biographer and journalist Laurence Bergreen entwines a variety of candid, firsthand accounts, bringing to life this groundbreaking and majestic tale of discovery that changed both the way explorers would henceforth navigate the oceans and history itself. Now updated to include a new introduction commemorating the 500th anniversary of Magellan’s voyage.

This biography of Giacomo Casanova reveals the life of the infamous libertine and writer, exploring his rise from an impoverished boy to a self-invented genius in 18th-century Europe. It details his escapades, romantic conquests, and intellectual pursuits, offering a vivid portrayal of the era and its colorful characters.

Is God Just a Distant Concept? An Award-Winning Religion Correspondent is Convinced the Answer is No and Explores the Possible Relationship with Our Creator

Exploring the life of a jazz pioneer, this biography delves into the extraordinary journey of Louis Armstrong, a monumental cultural icon. It reveals the untold aspects of his vibrant life, showcasing his influence on music and culture throughout the century. The narrative captures his experiences, challenges, and triumphs, providing a comprehensive portrait of an artist who shaped the landscape of jazz and left a lasting legacy.

Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a trading route to China, and his unexpected landfall in the Americas, is a watershed event in world history. Yet Columbus made three more voyages within the span of only a decade, each designed to demonstrate that he could sail to China within a matter of weeks and convert those he found there to Christianity. These later voyages were even more adventurous, violent, and ambiguous, but they revealed Columbus's uncanny sense of the sea, his mingled brilliance and delusion, and his superb navigational skills. In all these exploits, he almost never lost a sailor. By their conclusion, however, Columbus was broken in body and spirit. If the first voyage illustrates the rewards of exploration, the latter voyages illustrate the tragic costs, political, moral, and economic. In this book, the author re-creates each of these adventures as well as the historical background of Columbus's celebrated, controversial career

For Elizabeth, Drake made the impossible real, serving as a crucial and brilliantly adaptable instrument of her ambitions to transform England from a third-rate island kingdom into a global imperial power.In 1580, sailing on Elizabeth's covert orders, Drake became the first captain to circumnavigate the earth successfully.

The extraordinary life of one of the great travellers of world history

Looks at the First World War military career of the eminent composer George Butterworth.